Lalit Modi elected RCA President

Although he was banned by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) last year, former Indian Premier League (IPL) Chief, Lalit Modi was elected as Rajasthan Cricket Association (RCA) President. The Supreme Court-appointed observer, NM Kasliwal announced the results for the elections which were held in December, last year. Reports indicate that Modi won 25 off the 33 votes.

Among other office-bearers, Somendra Tiwari was elected as the new secretary, while Pawan Goyal won the treasurer's post. Mehmood M Abdi, a close confidante and legal counsel of Modi, has been elected as the deputy president of the RCA.

The announcement has surely set the stage for another round of legal tussles between him and a livid BCCI, which had threatened to ban RCA in anticipation of this result.

The election was conducted in December last year but the results were sealed following a Supreme Court directive. After much deliberation, the result was finally announced by the Supreme court-appointed observer. The administrator, who has been living in London for the past four years, was allowed to contest the RCA elections held on December 19 last year under the supervision of the observer.

Modi was slapped with a life ban by the BCCI on September 25 last year after its disciplinary committee found him guilty on eight charges of "indiscipline and misconduct". After Modi entered the fray in the RCA elections, BCCI had challenged the Rajasthan Sports Act, 2005 which allowed the former IPL chief to contest the presidential polls despite being banned for life by the Board.

The BCCI disciplinary committee, comprising Arun Jaitley, and Jyotiraditya Scindia, had submitted a 134-page report in July, 2013, in which it had found Modi guilty of financial irregularities, indiscipline and "actions detrimental to the interest of the BCCI".

Later last year, the apex court made its retired judge Justice Kasliwal a principal observer to oversee the RCA elections. The elections had become contentious because Modi was in the fray to become president. Challenging the election, the BCCI pleaded that Modi should not have been allowed to contest and the election be quashed. But the Supreme Court, last month, cleared the decks for the declaration of RCA's election results. Brushing aside the BCCI's objection, a bench headed by Justice A R Dave directed the registry to send the results, in a sealed envelope by its appointed observer Justice (retd) NM Kasliwal.

The court, however, has said that anyone aggrieved of the outcome can challenge it before an appropriate authority.